Legend of Ali-Lewis fight in Dublin grows with each year

While tooling about Ireland last winter, I caught a late night BBC report about a "hurl" that had been signed by Muhammad Ali in 1972 when he was in Dublin for a heavyweight fight. I had no idea Ali ever fought on the Emerald Isle and I was certainly unaware he has Celtic blood. 

Upon my return, I looked into the story and it's an unbelievable mix of celebrity, politics, workaday Irish folks, heavy drinking and a wild boxing match. Suffice to say, it would never happen in today's 24/7 media landscape, but it also got me my first ESPN.com credit, so win some/lose some.

I would encourage you to check out Ali's amazing Irish travelogue in which the G.O.A.T. says whiskey being labeled the “water of life” is “crazy.” It's a priceless relic and a great reminder of what a quick wit Ali was in his younger days.

Pour yourself a Tullamore Dew and dig into Ali's Irish roots. This article is a primer, but if you want to know more about his lone fight in Dublin, I highly reccommend The Big Fight by Dave Hannigan. He was a great resource.

When Ali's Eyes Are Smiling....

If you haven't seen Will It Blend? yet, be prepared to waste a lot of time on the Internets.

It's a web campaign for Blendtec, a home appliance comapny that makes a wonder of a blender. 

CEO Tom Dickson, a self-described "geek," loves testing his blender's skills by jamming unusual things into the motor and see what cooks. Here, he and marketing guru George Wright discuss the lessons of the now-legendary "Will It Blend?" viral videos.

It's an awesome display of stuff getting frappeed, pureed, liquified and chopped to bits.